Automatic auto-jack



' 1. BORGHES AND J. F. STAHLEY.

AUTOMATIC AUTO JACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 23 I920.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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l- BORGHES AND 1. F STAHLEY.

AUTOMATIC AUTO JACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 23. 1920.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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AUTOMATIC AUTO JACK. APPLICATION FILED MAR, 23, 1920.

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AUTOMATIC AUTO JACK. APPLICATION FILED MAR 23. 1920.

Patentd Feb.22,1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4 pairs STATES JOSEPH BORGHES'ANDJAMES F. STAHLEY, O15 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC AUTO-JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgfggntd Feb, 22, 1921,

Application filed March 23, 1920. Serial No. 368,200.

To all whom it may concer'n:

Be it known that we, Josnrrr BoReHEs, and JAMES F. STAHLEY, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Auto-Jacks, of which the following is a s ecification.

(lur invention relates to an improvement in automatic auto jacks.

The objectof our invention is to provide means which may be installed as a permanent part of a garage or storage shed which will support an automobile by its axles, leaving all of the wheels free from supporting engagement with the garage floor.

Another object of our invention is to provide such an auto jack which will operate automatically to raise the automobile through the use of the power of the machine itself.

Another object of our invention is to provide an auto jack of this character which may be released to lower the car, from the drivers seat. f

Another object of our invention is to provide in an auto jack means whereby the jack arms supporting the front and rear axles are independently operated. V i another object of our invention is the provision of means in such an auto jacl; for raising the rear heels of the car above the rear jack arm, and the combination'therewith of means operable by the motion of the car for collapsing the wheel'support to permit the rear end of the car to be supported entirely upon its rear axle.

Our invention comprises those novel parts and combinations thereof which are shown I in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification and particularly defined by the claims terminating the same.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention in a form which is now preferred by us.

Figure 1 is a plan view of our invention, parts being shown in position tob'e engaged by a car to support the same. I V

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our device- 3 is adetail view showing in side elevation the rear supporting means and the mechanism connected therewith.

Fig. 4' is a longitudinal section through our device, parts being shown'in the position they would occupy just prior to their being locked in vehicle-supporting position.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the rear end sup port, parts being shown in the vehicle-supporting positio 7 Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the front supporting mechanism and the locking and releasing mechanism therefor, parts being shown in the vehicle-supporting position. V

Fig. 7 is a plan view levers which we employ.

Essentially our device consists of front jack arms 1 and rear jack arms 2 which are spaced sufficiently to engage beneath the front and rear axles, respectively, of an automobile to thereby support-the car, and which are pivoted upon transverse axes 10 and 20, respectively, so that they may swing longitudinally of the direction of motion of the car. We prefer that these jack arms 1 and 2 be formed in pairs to engage the opposite sides of the'center'line of the car. The rear jack :arm 2' normally is lowenough to permit the car to pass over itwithout engaging the arm. The front arm l,-however, is normally positioned to be engaged by the front axle 31 of an automobile 3 and to support the axle upon its upper end when the arm 1 is swung into vehicle-supporting position. v I

The front jack arms lare operable inde pendently' of the rear jackarms 2, and we shall first describe their construction and operation. The car 3, in being driven upon the jack, engages the arms 1 or the lugsll upon the upper ends thereof by itsfront axle,31.' If desired an inclineel may. be placed in position at each side ofthe frame 4, upon which the front wheels may rise to any desired 'height.=- As the front. axle 31 engages the jack arms 1, thecar progressing forward under'' its own power through the traction of the rear wheels, the front axle is raised upon the jack arms 1. We provide a of one of the trip bumper 40 which may have aresilient block 1 I I 42in position-to be engaged by the jack arm's l'to limit their forward swing. Preferably jack arms.

To secure the ack arms in vehicle-supporting position we may provide a locking 00k 12 which is pivoted upon the jack arms or upon a rod 14 extending therebetween, and which is engageable with "a rod 13 extending between the pair of bumpers 10. When the jack arms 1 are raised into vehicle-supporting position the hook 12 engages over the bar 13 to'sec ure the arms in raised position. The hook 12 may also be provided with a second hook 18 which is adapted to engage the bar 43 to limit the rearward movement of the jack arms 1 and to hold them in position to be engaged by the axle 31. V o Asa means forreleasing the locking hook 12 we provide a lever-5 which is rotatable upon the bar 13 and which is provided with a releasing dog 51 engageable beneath the hook-12. A bell-crank lever 52 having one end slotted, as shown at 53, and engaging with the lever 5, may be connected by means of a rod 5 1 to a release lever 55 which is positioned to be operable from the drivers seat. Bypulling re'arwardly upon the releasing -lever '55 the releasing dog 51, through the conne:tion described, will lift the hook 12 from its engagement with the bar 43 and will permit the jack armsl to swing rearwardly under the influence of the Weight of the car. A

lVhile the rear jack arms 2 are normally positioned below the car where they will not be engaged thereby, means are provided for raising said ack armsinto vehiclesupporting position. Preferably these means are operable through the forward motion of the car, itself. The means which, we have 7 shown herein consists or" the rod 21 which this would severely strain the jack.

extendsforward from a split rod 22 secured to each of the jack arms 2, and which is provided at its forward end with a hook23 adapted to engage the front axle 31 of the car 8. Ayoke 4 4 maybe employed to support the forward 'end'oi the bar 21 if desired. ;It is apparentthat'as the, vehicle moves forwardrwhen the hookt23 has engaged the front axle 31, as best shown in Fig. -1,:the'rearjack arms 2 will be-raised into vehicle-supportingEpositionbeneath the rear'axle32. .7 i a It is not. desired thatthe momentum of the car shall besuiiicient to carry the car up upon the arms 2 as they swing upward l gs e rear end of the car, therefore, must be raised above the arms 2 and then lowered thereupon. As a means forja'ccomplishing this'result' we have provided theauxiliary supports 6 for the rear wheels of the vehicle. These means comprise the boards '6 which are pivoted atone end, as at 60, and which areprovided with supporting means for their outer ends. As, shown thesesupporting means comprise the levers .61which arepivoted in'the outer end of the boards 6 at 62. These levers Gl'may be formed as U- shaped yokes having secured thereto at their ends the rollers 63 which are adapted to roll upon the floor. The central portion 64 of the levers 61 forms a tripping member, the

operation or which will be later described.

A setting mechanism for the supporting levers 61 is provided, this being operableby the forward motion of the car. T his consists of a lever formed of two parts. The upper part is pivoted at 71 to the lower section 7 of the lever by'a suitable spring hinge, so that it will bend if engaged from one side but will form an integral part-of the whole setting lever if engaged from the I which engages beneath the supporting lever 61 to raise the same into supporting position.

inoperative or collapsed position. After the front wheels of the car have passed over the support 6 the front axle or other suitable member upon the automobile engages the setting lever 7, which is drawn forward. This raises the lifting toe -76'and the lever 61 is thereby raised into approximately v'ertioal position to hold the auxiliary support 6 in inclined position as shown in Fig. 4. A spring GTmay beemployed to engage and prevent accidental collapse of the'lever 61. After the front axle 31 has passed on beyond the tripping is er 1" this resumes its normal position: and the liftingtoe 76 is dropped to its normal position. The;sup porting lever 61., however, remains raised. The rear wheels 33 of the automobile ride upward upon the inclined auxiliary supports 6 until therea'raxle 32 is immediately above the rear jack arms 2, which E111 the meantime have been raised into vehicle-supporting, position, has been described.

To release the device the *releasing lever 55 is pulled as has'been descr1bed,fand the weight oi the car,,bemg f-sl1ghtly ofl';center of the pivots of the jack arms, will cause The auxiliary support 6 is normally in the jack arms 1 and 2 to swing rearwardly. The car is thus deposited once more upon its wheels. In backing out the section 70 of the tripping lever 7 will fold downward when engaged by the front axle 31 and will not be operable to reset the auxiliary support 6 until engaged from the oppositeside.

By the use of a device of this kind an automobile may be lifted from its wheels by the use of its own motive power and may be thus supported by its axles for as long a period of time as is desired. This is of great advantage in saving the tires and preventing collapse of the side walls thereof.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. An automatic auto jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms engageable respectivelywith the vehicle front and rear axles to support the car, said front jack arms being normally inclined and in position to be engaged by the vehicle front axle, and a rod having a hook at one end engageable by the vehicle front axle and operable by its forward motion for swinging said rear jack arm upward beneath the vehicle to thereby support its rear end, said front jack arm being also swung upward with the forward motion of the vehicle into position to support its front end.

2. An automatic auto 'jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms, said front arm being adapted to engage the vehicle front axle to be raised into vehicle-supporting position by its forward motion and said rear ack arm being inclined rearwardly 1n inoperative or in vehicle-supporting positions, a rod having a hook at one end engageable directly upon the vehicle and connected by its other end directly to said rear jack arm, and operable by the forward motion of the vehicle to swing said rear jack arm upward beneath the rear axle into vehicle-supporting position, and means for locking said parts in vehicle-supporting position. a

3. An automatic auto. jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms, said front jack arm being positioned to be engaged by the vehicle front axle during the forward motion thereof, thereby to raise and support the same, both front and rear jack arms being inclined rearwardly in inoperative or in vehicle-supporting positions, a rod having a hook at the forward end engageable by the vehicle front axle and connected directly to said rear jack arms, and operable by the forward motion of the vehicle to swing said rear jack arms upward beneath the rear axle to support it, andreleasable means for securing said members in vehicle supporting position. I

4. An automatic auto jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms, said front jack arm being positioned to be engaged by the vehicle front axle during the forward motion thereof, thereby to raise and support the same, means engageable by the vehlcle and operable by its forward motion to swing said rear jack arms upward beneath the rear axle to support it, an auxiliary support for the rear wheels'of the vehicle in operative position while said rear jack arm is being swung said rear jack arms upward beneath the rear axle to support it, an auxiliary support for the-rear wheels of the vehicle in operative position while said rear jack arm is being swung into vehicle-supporting position, a

lever pivoted upon the outer end of said inclineand adapted to support the same in inclined position, and a trip lever forming a part of said supporting lever, and adapted to be engaged by the vehicle wheel to release said supporting lever.

' 6. An automatic auto jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms, said front jack'arm being positioned to be engaged by the vehicle front axle during the forward motion thereof, thereby to raise and support the same, means engageable "by the vehicle and operable by its forward motion to swing said rear jack arms-upward beneath the rear axle to support-it',-an auxiliary support for inoperative position, means actuated by the forward movement of the vehicle for raising said auxiliary support to be iii-supporting position while said rear jack arm is being swung into vehicle-supporting position, and

' means operable by further forward motion of the vehicle thereafter for collapsing said auxiliary support.

7. An automatic auto jack comprising pivoted front and rear jack arms, said front jack arm being positioned to be engaged by the vehiclefront axle during the forward motion thereof, thereby to raise and support,

the same, means engageable by the vehicle and operable by its forward motion to swing said rear jack arms upward beneath the rear axle to support it, an auxiliary support for the rear wheels of the vehicle normally in inoperative position, means engageable by the front axle of the vehicle in imovf P ing forward positioned ahead of said auxiliary support for raising the same into inclinedposition, a member supporting said auxiliary support in inclined position, and means operable by the forward motion of the vehicle for collapsing said inclined aux- -the rear wheels of the vehicle normally in tion beneath the rear axle after engagement of said hook with the front axle, a bumper limiting the forward movement of said front jack arm, a locking bar carried thereby, and a hook carried by said front jack arm and en 'ageable withsaid locking bar to prevent rearward motion of the jack arms.

7 9. automatic auto jack comprising pivoted front rear jack arms, said front jack arm being positioned to be engaged by the vehicle front axle during the forward motion thereof, thereby to raise and support the same, a rod extending forward beneath the car and provided at itsforward end with an axle-engaging hook, and connected at its rear end to the rear jack arm to raise said arm into vehicle-supporting position .beneath the rear axl after engagement of said hook with the front axle, a bumper limiting the forward movement of said front jack arm, a locking bar carried thereby, and a 1 hook carried by said front jack arm and engagealole with said locking bar to prevent rearward motion of thejack' arms, an auxinary support for the rear wheels of the vehicle in Operative position while said jackarm is being swung into vehicle-supporting position, and means operable by further forward motion of thevehicle thereafter for collapsing said auxiliary support.

10. An automatic .auto jack comprising spaced front and rear jack arms, said front jack arm being normally positioned-to be engaged by the vehicle front axle to be swung'upward and forward into vehiclesupporting position, an auxiliary support for the rear wheels, means engageable by the vehicle and operable by forward movement thereof for supporting said auxiliary support in operative position, means engageable by the vehicle and operable by itsforward motion for raising said rear jack arm into vehicle-supporting position beneath the vehicle rear axle. and means operable by further forward motion of the vehicle for collapsing said auxiliary support.

11. In an automatic auto jack, a rear jack arm, means for raising said jack arm be neath the rear end of the car into car-supporting position, an auxiliary support for the rear wheels, means for raisingsaid auxiliary support into inclined position, and means operable by forward motion of the car for l'or-Jering said auxiliary support to lower the rear end ofthe car upon said jack arm. 7

12. In an automatic auto jack, a rear jack arm, means for raising said jack arm beneath the car into car-supporting position, auxiliary supports for the rear wheels, means for raising said auxiliary supports into-inclined position during forward motion of the (32113111161 means operable by the upon further forward motion for lowering said auxiliary supportsto lower the rear end of the car.

13. In an automatic auto jack, a rearjacl: arm, means operable by the car duringits forward motion to raise said jack arm beneaththe car into car-supporting position, auxiliary supports for the rear wheels, means for raising said auxiliary supports into inclined position duringforward motion of the car, and means operable by the carat the limit of. its forward motion for lowering said auxiliary supports to lower the rear-end of the car upon said i arm.

Signed at SeattleflWashington, this 17th 1920. JOSEPH BORGHES. JAMES F. STAHLEY.

day of March, 

